Very Strawberry Brownies

               

  Here's a quick and easy dessert recipe to make for your Valentine. Very cute, very pink, and yes, VERY strawberry! Now, I know you're probably thinking "if they're not chocolate, why are they still called brownies?" Well, it's the brownie TEXTURE we're going for here. They start out with a regular cake mix, but then when you pour the glaze over the still warm pan, it kind of sinks in a little bit, giving them a more brownie like texture. 

  So here's the thing.. when I was first looking at this recipe, there's were no extracts or dried strawberries, and I worried that it might wind up tasting like that artificial strawberry flavor (you know, like strawberry quik?) So I decided to amp it up a little. I saw another version of it that included the strawberry extract... but the aha moment was when I added the strawberry powder to it. BOOM. Huge strawberry flavor!! I thought "Why am I not adding this to every strawberry thing ever?" Definitely a game changer. 

 I made them for a group of friends at a recent party I hosted. One of my friends said they're VERY STRAWBERRY so that became the name! 

 Make them for your Valentine to show them how much you love them and they'll love you right back!

 

 

 

Brownies
1 box strawberry cake mix
2 large eggs
1/3 cup salted butter, melted
1 tsp strawberry extract (optional, but recommended)
1 tbs freeze dried strawberry powder (optional, but recommended)

Glaze
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tbs strawberry preserves
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs cream

Heat oven to 350F.
Line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches hanging over the edge. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine all brownie ingredients. Batter will be very thick. Press evenly into prepared pan. Bake about 20 minuted or until an inserted tooth pick comes out clean.
Let it cool slightly, but leave them in the pan.
Mix all glaze ingredients until smooth. Pour over warm brownies.
Cool or chill completely.
Using the parchment overhang like a sling, lift the entire batch out of the pan before cutting into 9 large squares or 16 small ones.

Garnish with a strawberry on top of each one as shown, if desired.

Tips:
The extract and freeze dried strawberries are optional, but seriously they made all the difference for the recipe. Thats what makes them VERY strawberry! In fact, I don't think I'd ever make this recipe without them. You can easily find them on Amazon.
Also, you can double the whole thing and bake in a 9x13 pan. 

Btw. I saw a tiktok video with this recipe and she called them "pinkies", but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Hot Dog Stew

 

 Ok, I know this might sound weird, but just go with me on this one. 

I was in the mood to make something homey and comforting, so I did a quick inventory of my fridge and pantry. The first thing I noticed was a package of ground beef. That's a good start. I continued browsing my pantry and found cans of baked beans, which made me think of Trisha Yearwood's Baked Bean Casserole. Great! I'll make that. But that calls for bacon. Hmm... I'm out of bacon.. what else do I have? AHA! a package of hot dogs! I thought "well, it's not very likely that I'll be grilling hot dogs any time soon, and you can't go wrong with franks and beans." Perfect. From there, I just sort of used Miss Trisha's recipe as a guide, while not really using exactly the same ingredients. I didn't want it to be too sweet or too spicy, so I omitted the brown sugar, and kept the seasonings simple. And this is where I landed!

 After it was finished, I thought, "ok, now, how am I gonna serve this?" Cheddar cheese and sour cream on top? Well, I had it in my mind that it should be a stew, (NOT a chili), which made me think of my Mother's chicken stew that we used to pour over mashed potatoes. Great idea!

 The result was exactly what I wanted. It was simple and warm and hearty and satisfying. It also makes for great leftovers. It's a great mid-week meal, and it easily feeds a crowd. And it was easy as throwing things into a pan.

 Sometimes the best recipes are the ones you just come up with on the spot, dontcha think? Feel free to take this one in any direction with whatever you have in your pantry! Enjoy!

A few glugs of oil
1 onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, any color, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg 8 hot dogs, sliced into coins
1 can pork and beans
1 small can Rotel tomatoes
1-2 fresh tomatoes, diced
2 tbs ketchup
2 tbs mustard
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Chili powder to taste
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cold water

Mashed potatoes for serving


In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat, then sauté onions, peppers, and garlic until they soften.
Add ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks. After it browns, add the hot dog slices. Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except flour and water, and gently stir until well combined. Simmer for a  good 15-20 minutes.
To thicken it, make a slurry with the flour and cold water. Add to pan and gently stir to combine. Simmer for another few minutes until thickened.
Serve over a big pile of fluffy mashed potatoes. 

 

 

Tips:

As stated above, you can clearly go in any direction with whatever you have in your pantry. You can also play around with the flavors. Want it to be more like a soup? Add some chicken broth. Want it to be more like a chili?  Add some tomato sauce and ground cumin. Want some heat? Add some chopped jalapeno peppers. Or crushed red pepper flakes. Or cayenne pepper. And for a serving variation, instead of mashed potatoes, serve it over a pile of rice, or just in a bowl as it is! It will all work!